Before coming here, Uchiha Hikari had mentally prepared herself to some extent for what she might see.
But…
When she actually laid eyes on the transformed corpse of Junpei Yoshino, she couldn't help but feel a wave of nausea.
What lay before her and Kikyo was a large, pinkish-brown lump of flesh.
The lump looked as if someone had been thrown into a meat grinder, turned into pulp, and then kneaded back together like clay. From the surface of the mass, you could even make out faint traces of facial features—eyes, a nose, ears—but that only made the lump appear even more grotesque and terrifying.
"Kikyo?"
Uchiha Hikari slightly turned her gaze to the shrine maiden beside her.
When it came to matters involving souls, the latter was far more of an expert.
"There's probably no way."
Kikyo calmly observed the scene for a moment before shaking her head. "His soul and flesh have both been severely distorted and damaged, and worse, they've been deliberately erased. According to what the Heavenly God said, the prerequisite for revival with the Dragon Balls is an intact soul. So, I'm afraid this Yoshino classmate is beyond the scope of being brought back."
"…So it's really not possible, huh?"
Yuji Itadori lowered his head, his expression turning a bit dejected.
Seeing him like this, Uchiha Hikari sighed and patted his shoulder. "Try to let it go. For now, I'll take this body and see if the Heavenly God can do anything. If revival is possible, we'll bring back Tanjiro and the others too. If not, well, you'll just have to mourn and move on. My personal advice? Don't get your hopes up too high, or it might hit you harder later."
"…I understand."
Yuji wasn't the type to break easily, and he'd only reached out for help with a "let's try" mindset anyway. After getting the answer, he quickly adjusted his attitude and bowed to Uchiha Hikari and Kikyo. "No matter the outcome, thank you both for coming to help, Miss Hikari and Miss Kikyo. If there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask."
"No big deal, just a small effort."
Uchiha Hikari waved it off and pulled an ice coffin out of a universal capsule.
Yuji, being the perceptive guy he was, rolled up his sleeves and started moving Junpei Yoshino's body into the coffin.
Good thing he was willing to handle it.
Otherwise, faced with this shapeless lump of flesh, Uchiha Hikari really wouldn't have known where to even start.
On the other side, Kikyo seemed to think for a moment before speaking slowly. "Mr. Itadori, how much do you know about the cursed spirit responsible for this tragedy? A technique that can interfere with someone's soul must be pretty advanced, right? Can the cursed spirits of this world really do something like that?"
"Uh…"
Yuji hesitated, caught off guard.
Uchiha Hikari stepped in at the right moment. "I'll take this one.
The cursed spirit called Mahito is a unique one among his kind. He was born from the negative emotions of humans, so he naturally has the ability to see others' souls. Building on that, he developed a cursed technique called 'Idle Transfiguration.'
This ability lets him alter the shape of a soul through physical contact, and in turn, change the body's form. Before Junpei Yoshino, many others were captured and subjected to this transformation. Mahito can freely control the shapes of these transformed humans with his cursed energy—making them bigger, smaller, fusing them, or assembling them however he wants. And… while all this is happening, those people are still 'alive,' with faint consciousness, even able to speak."
"…I see."
Kikyo furrowed her brow slightly, pondering for a moment. "So, Miss Hikari, do you think this cursed spirit could reverse these transformations and restore them?"
"Hm?"
Uchiha Hikari raised an eyebrow.
That was… a tough question.
For sure, there was no case in the original story of a transformed human being restored.
There was one instance of a regular human being healed—Inumaki's ally, who made a deal with Geto and the others, and had Mahito use 'Idle Transfiguration' to fix his congenital leg disability.
But the nature of those two cases was quite different.
Logically speaking, turning a person into a lump of flesh was nowhere near the same level of difficulty as reshaping that lump back into a human. Even Mahito himself probably never considered whether he could do it. To get a real answer, they'd have to capture him and run a few experiments.
"Speaking of which…"
Uchiha Hikari glanced at Kikyo. "Miss Kikyo, could your soul be repaired with 'Idle Transfiguration'?"
"…Unlikely."
Kikyo shook her head. "From what you just described, Miss Hikari, Mahito's technique can only alter the shape of a soul, not create something from nothing. My soul is already incomplete, so no matter how its shape changes, the damage would still be there. Repairing it is out of the question."
"Well, it's worth a shot."
Uchiha Hikari continued, "As long as that cursed spirit Mahito hasn't been caught, he'll definitely keep capturing ordinary people for these transformation experiments. Since we're here, we might as well help Itadori deal with this nuisance."
"…Fair enough."
Kikyo didn't argue.
In truth, though she didn't say it out loud, Kikyo wasn't entirely against the idea of restoring her pre-death form.
Even if Mahito's ability couldn't do it, trying wouldn't hurt.
But…
Now wasn't the time.
For one, Uchiha Hikari had other things on her plate.
Reviving the Demon Slayer Corps, settling Miss Tamayo and Nezuko, dealing with Muzan as an experimental subject—these all needed time and attention.
For another, Mahito had already fled. Tracking him down in the unfamiliar world of jujutsu would be no easy task. But there was no need to hunt him down either. Based on the jujutsu world's storyline, Mahito would soon come back into contact with the Jujutsu High folks. Instead of chasing him, they could just wait for him to show up.
For now, Uchiha Hikari stored the ice coffin in her universal capsule, and together with Kikyo, followed Yuji out of the morgue.
As they stepped out, warm sunlight poured down, a stark contrast to the cold behind the door.
"By the way…"
Uchiha Hikari paused and turned to Yuji. "Is your teacher, Satoru Gojo, in Tokyo these days?"
"…No. Teacher Gojo went abroad on a mission a while back. Before he left, he put me under Nanami's care, so he's the one guiding me now."
Yuji thought for a moment and answered honestly.
"Oh…"
Uchiha Hikari had some recollection of this "Nanami."
A blond salaryman type who just wanted a peaceful life, huh?
If this guy were in the next series over, he'd probably awaken a Stand called "Killer Queen."
Joking aside, Nanami Kento, the Grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer, was pretty capable—a top player in the jujutsu world with a deep understanding of cursed techniques. If she got the chance to meet him, it might be worth having a chat.
Then there was Megumi Fushiguro.
The shikigami "Mahoraga" that Uchiha Hikari wanted to tame required his power to summon. She didn't know the guy yet, but she'd have to find a way to get Yuji to introduce them.
As for now…
She could start with someone else.
"Itadori, mind if I have a chat with the one inside you?"
Uchiha Hikari spoke up again.
This time, Yuji's eyes twitched, and a look of shock crossed his face. "You mean…"
"Exactly. Ryomen Sukuna, the legendary 'King of Curses.'"
"?!"
As Uchiha Hikari's words landed, Yuji's expression shifted, and the aura around him grew unstable.
From Hikari and Kikyo's perspective, they could clearly see his eyes flicker rapidly—calm one moment, ferocious the next, as if switching between Yuji and Sukuna's possession. But Yuji's own will still held the upper hand.
"Miss Hikari, Miss Kikyo… get out of here…"
Yuji's voice came out strained. "I'm about to lose control of the thing inside me… It's dangerous to stay…"
"No worries."
Uchiha Hikari smiled lightly and raised a hand, gently pressing it to Yuji's chest. "You can rest easy and take a nap. Leave the rest to me and Kikyo."
Her ocular power activated.
In that moment, the black tomoe in her eyes emerged, spinning like a windmill.
And then…
The world spun.
…
A stench of blood.
An overwhelming, inescapable smell of blood filled the air.
As Uchiha Hikari opened her eyes again, the scene around her had shifted from the morgue's entrance to a blood-red space. Thick, viscous blood flowed ankle-deep beneath her feet, and ahead stood a small mountain piled high with corpses and bones.
—A literal mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
At this moment, a man in a white kimono sat atop the corpse mountain.
—Ryomen Sukuna.
Due to sharing the same body, his face bore a striking resemblance to Yuji's, but with shark-like markings on both cheeks. He sat there, one hand propping up his chin, looking down with a playful smirk and a frivolous gaze.
"Uchiha, Hikari?"
The man tilted his head, pronouncing her name in a slightly rough tone. "Lately, this brat keeps yammering about you lot, to the point my ears are practically calloused. And the real deal's just a wet-behind-the-ears little girl? Still, making it in here means you've got some skill."
"…Is that a compliment from the 'King of Curses'?"
Speaking of which…
Uchiha Hikari had always been curious about something—
The chat group: was it tied to the body or the soul?
For most people, this wasn't an issue, since body and soul were typically a one-to-one match.
But…
Yuji Itadori was different.
As the vessel for Ryomen Sukuna, his body housed two souls, and the latter could occasionally take over, using Yuji's body to act in the real world. So… could Sukuna see the chat group messages?
Now, it seemed…
The answer was no.
Relieved by this, Uchiha Hikari let out a breath.
If Sukuna could see the chat group, things might get a bit tricky—though only a bit.
On the other side, Sukuna maintained his lofty posture, looking down at her. "I've got a question for you. How exactly did you get here?
No cursed energy in your body, and you're not a cursed spirit… No, wait, you're human, but that woman with you feels a bit like a cursed spirit.
So tell me, as a flesh-and-blood human, how did you suddenly appear by that brat's side and then get in here? What's with those patterns in your eyes? If your answer satisfies me, I might consider not killing you."
"…Guess."
Uchiha Hikari's lips curved into a faint, amused smile.
"?"
Sukuna raised a brow. "Looks like you've got some cards up your sleeve to talk to me like that. But if you think that puts you on my level, you're gravely mistaken. If you won't answer, I'll just have to ask another way."
As he spoke, Sukuna slowly rose from the top of the corpse mountain, a cold snort escaping his nose.
With that sound, the air around them trembled, and a ferocious aura surged from the "King of Curses," shooting skyward. In that instant, the mountain of corpses and sea of blood seemed to come alive, the bloody air whipping into a howling wind, pressing toward Uchiha Hikari with a tangible, crushing force!
"…Such heavy killing intent."
Uchiha Hikari's eyes narrowed slightly.
When it came to killing, she knew she couldn't match Sukuna. A thousand years ago, this guy had slaughtered his way through mountains and seas, leading jujutsu sorcerers to seal him, splitting his body and twenty fingers for storage. But…
When it came to mental strength, Uchiha Hikari feared no one!
In that moment, an equally fierce aura erupted from her, the red in her eyes blazing brightly. With a surge of mental power, a tremendous force formed, like a crimson meteor, hurtling toward Sukuna!
"You…"
Sukuna barely got a word out.
Then—
BOOM—!!!
In an instant, the corpse mountain beneath Sukuna was struck by Hikari's aura, exploding with a deafening blast. Countless bone fragments rained down like droplets, and the bloody air scattered, turning into a crimson storm swirling in all directions!
For a moment, the entire mental space quaked!
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